When interior designer Lee Snijders first appeared on HGTV's
popular decorating show Designers' Challenge in 2002, he
assumed he'd get a flurry of inquiries from prospects and some
promising leads for new work. What he didn't expect was an
avalanche of new business.

"During the first commercial break, my girlfriend and I
checked my e-mail, and I already had 15 e-mails from people
requesting whole home designs," says Snijders, founder of
Lee
Snijders Designs. "By the next morning, I had received 225
e-mails. I was ecstatic."

Such is the power of TV, that all-pervasive electronic medium
that entertains us, educates us and lifts our spirits. More
important for entrepreneurs, TV can provide a wealth of
opportunities for promoting products and services to a wide
audience you otherwise might not reach-and without the exorbitant
expenses associated with paid advertising.

"Every time that show airs, it's like a free commercial
for me," Snijders, 36, says. "My Web site lights up, the
e-mails come in, and I get a new influx of clients. It has been
surreal for me."

And that modest first appearance has paid off for Snijders in
another significant way: In addition to making two more appearances
on Designers' Challenge, he landed his own HGTV show,
Design on a Dime, last year, and his innovative work is now
seen regularly by 88 million viewers. He's also in the enviable
position of pursuing licensing deals and endorsements that one day
could be worth millions.

"Being on TV can make you a millionaire-or it can have
absolutely no effect on your business at all," says Susan
Harrow, a media coach and marketing strategist in Oakland,
California, and author of The Ultimate Guide to Getting Booked
on Oprah: Ten Steps to Becoming a Guest on the World's Top Talk
Show. "For your career to take off, you must prepare in
advance to make the most of your TV appearances."

And here are four steps to help you do just that.

1. Lay the Groundwork

Just as every business needs a carefully constructed business
and marketing plan to ensure success, every entrepreneur who wants
to break into TV needs a media strategy. It's not enough to
have a great product or service, or a lively personality for
pitching it well. You also have to do your homework before you ever
attempt to sell yourself to a talk show or news program producer
(the person who's most likely to book on-air talent).

The first step in the process is to determine your niche.
Typically, producers are interested in people who can solve a
problem or help people do something better. They love motivational
stories and those with emotional appeal. They also look for people
whose products and services relate to current trends. For example,
anything you can do or offer right now that ties into the low-carb
diet craze might be perceived as newsworthy by a TV producer.

Next, watch the show you're dying to appear on so you can
become familiar with the host's style and the program's
content and pace. And watch it a lot, either by tuning in every day
or by setting your TiVo or VCR to catch the program for a couple of
weeks. Then, review every segment carefully to pick up on common
themes and styles.

You'll also want to check out the show's Web site for
insider information. For instance, if you click on the "Be a
Guest" link on The Oprah Winfrey Show Web site, you'll
find dozens of show subjects the producers are currently pursuing.
It's always easier to fit into a category producers are already
working on than to pitch your own idea, so take advantage of any
helpful hints they provide on their Web site as a way to zero in on
their needs.

To position yourself as an expert in your field and attract the
attention of producers, be sure to emphasize your own expertise and
background as well. "We only use experts with
credibility," says Chantal von Alvensleben, editorial producer
of Your Money on CNNfn. "We hear from a lot of people
who say, 'I opened a business two years ago, so now I'm an
expert.' But if you want to talk about financial planning
issues on CNNfn, you need to be an experienced financial planner,
advisor or personal finance writer with many years of experience.
Degrees aren't as important as experience. And if there's
no story, there's no reason to have you on the show, so a good
pitch is essential."

Finally, in addition to concocting a good pitch, you might also
consider advertising your expertise and availability in a
publication like the Radio-TV Interview Report, which is a trade
magazine published three times per month for an audience of 4,000
TV and radio show producers. For a nominal fee, you can place an ad
with your biography, credentials and photograph in the magazine,
immediately bringing you to the attention of producers on the hunt
for experts.

2. Launch Your TV Career

Your initial pitch, or proposal, can make or break your chances
of getting a coveted pre-broadcast audition. The pitch should not
only propose a dynamic topic on a timely subject, but also include
enough information about you and your idea to pique producers'
interest, inducing them to reach for the phone and call you
immediately to learn more.

According to Harrow, a well-crafted pitch should summarize your
idea or story angle in a few sentences and should suggest two or
three different variations on the same theme in case one of them
has already been done or doesn't quite meet a producer's
needs. She also recommends phrasing the topic dramatically and with
a negative slant, as in "How your children's lunches can
harm them" (instead of "Healthy eating for kids").
Such a provocative approach is likely to elicit more interest when
it crosses a producer's desk.

Other items you should include with your pitch are a list of key
messages that outline the specifics you plan to cover and a short
bio-no more than a paragraph or two-that outlines your
experience and expertise related to the topic you're
pitching.

While it's perfectly acceptable to send pitches via snail
mail, you may find that an e-mailed pitch will get a faster
response. "We don't have lunch; we don't get away from
our desks," says von Alvensleben of herself and her producer
colleagues at CNNfn. "So e-mail is definitely the preferred
way to reach us."

Finally, make sure your pitch letter includes a phone number
where you are instantly accessible. "Things happen so fast on
national TV that, if you aren't ready and available,
they'll move on to the next person," Harrow says.

For this reason, entrepreneurs like Elizabeth Falkner, 38, of
Citizen
Cake, a San Francisco patisserie/bakery with $2 million in
annual sales, put media inquiries above all other daily
business-even cookies that are ready to come out of the oven.
"I don't let anyone else talk to the media when they
call," Falkner says. "If you get a call from a producer
or a reporter, it's because they're on deadline and they
need an answer or a sound bite from you now. It helps to do some
preplanning about what you'll say if they call in response to a
pitch so you can react quickly and efficiently."

That's not the only reason preparation pays off. Producers
often screen prospective on-air experts by phone. "Someone
with a lot of energy and personality just screams to me on the
phone," says Avelino Pombo of Edelman Productions, which
produces Landscape Smart for HGTV. "If I invite a
landscaper to come in with a portfolio after a phone interview,
there's a 90 percent chance I'll use that person on the
show."

Work It

There's more to being on TV than sitting next to the host
and smiling engagingly. You should also:

Treat a phone call from a producer as an audition. Susan
Harrow, author of The Ultimate Guide to Getting Booked on
Oprah, suggests preparing brief, concise talking points and
rehearsing them well.

Get media coaching before you go on national tv.
"Being interviewed by Katie Couric is a lot different than
giving a speech or making a sales pitch," says Steve Harrison,
publisher of resource directory Bradley's Guide to the Top
National TV Talk & Interview Shows.

Get your tv makeup done before you arrive at the studio.
First, ask if professional makeup is available at the studio. If
not, go to either a salon or a department store makeup counter to
have your makeup done.

Keep the ideas coming. Doug Flynn of Flynn Zito Capital
Management in Garden City, New York, sends his producer
magazine articles related to his area of expertise and suggests how
he can discuss them on CNNfn.

3. Learn the Media Ropes

While a great pitch and the right expertise can definitely make
a producer sit up and notice you, the reality is that your chances
of sitting next to the undisputed queen of daytime TV or any of the
other big-time TV hosts-"in the good chairs," as
Harrow puts it-are fairly low. After all, everyone wants to
be on the national shows, but few are called. However, you can
improve your odds of being one of those few by putting together a
body of broadcast work on local TV first.

"You wouldn't consider trying to get booked on Broadway
before you starred in a dozen or more hometown plays, would
you?" Harrow asks rhetorically. "So get plenty of
practice on your local news and talk shows. This will give you a
chance to fine-tune your sound bites so you won't be shocked by
the speed of national TV."

Pitch your ideas to the local media the same way you would to
national TV. Then, once you get those coveted appearances on tape,
you should have duplicates made of the ones that can be sent to the
"biggies." You'll also want to put streaming video of
your appearances on your Web site (a Web site is a
necessity-establish one immediately if you don't already
have one) so you can send a link to producers you're querying.
This allows them to see exactly how you come across on the small
screen.

Doug Flynn, 37, of Flynn Zito Capital Management, a
million-dollar Garden City, New York, financial planning firm, has
done this to his advantage. The personal finance expert is a
frequent CNNfn guest who not only has recent streaming video on his
Web site, but also has links to the Web sites of publications that
have run articles about him. Building this type of "broadcast
portfolio" makes you look more professional and seasoned to
producers who want to be sure they can rely on you to be an
animated, intelligent and polished guest in front of the
cameras.

Incidentally, sometimes a local TV spot can lead to national
exposure. Rebecca Steven, 42, owner of The
Chocolate Fountain in Wichita, Kansas-a $2 million
distributor of stainless steel centerpieces used at weddings for
dipping fruit and other goodies-was featured on several local
TV stations and in many publications following an appearance last
November at the International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show in
New York City. When USA Today published a small story about
the fountain with a photograph on the cover of its "Life"
section, a producer at Good Morning America called Steven to
come in for an on-air segment. As a result of that segment, one of
her fountains was featured on the local network affiliate to
coincide with Trista & Ryan's Wedding, which aired last
fall.

Says Steven, "Months later, I'm still getting calls
from people saying they saw the Good Morning America
segment."

4. How to Handle Your "15 Minutes of Fame"

It goes without saying that your whole reason for getting on TV
is to promote yourself and your business. But the best guests let
the host do the work for them. For example, Harrow says that
practicing "egolessness" when on Oprah can reap huge
benefits. "If Oprah [Winfrey] loves you and spouts your word
as the bible of your industry...you've got it made," she
says.

Other hosts will do the same if you give them the opportunity.
And if by chance the interview starts to go astray, there's a
foolproof way to direct it back to your main message. "A
simple transition or bridge you can use in any circumstance is
'I don't know about that, but what I do know is....'
This one sentence can be a lifesaver," says Harrow.

No matter what you do know, somewhere there's a TV show that
might be interested in hearing you talk about it. So set your
sights high, and let your imagination go, because with the right
packaging, preparation and delivery, you could be the next Dr.
Phil.

Make the Cut

"Anyone can get free publicity if they know how to do
it," says Steve Harrison, publisher of trade magazine
Radio-TV Interview Report and resource directory
Bradley's Guide to the Top National TV Talk & Interview
Shows. And he should know-he has helped 12,000 people get
airtime since 1986. Here are his tips for landing a spot on
America's top-rated programs:

Today: Pitch ideas that are tied into a current news
trend or recent event.

The View: Study the hosts' personalities, and pitch
ideas that would appeal to a particular host.

Live with Regis and Kelly: Pitch your ideas on Monday or
Tuesday rather than later in the week, since all show decisions are
made at the beginning of the week. "And you've got to be
funny," Harrison says.

The Tonight show with Jay Leno: You have to do something
off-the-wall or wacky to land on this show. Having a celebrity
spokesperson for your product or service also helps.

Larry King live: "It's difficult to get on this
show if you're not a celebrity, unless you're very
qualified to discuss something that's in the news,"
Harrison says.

Good Morning America: Do something visual, and use
props. For example, the authors of a relationship book who talked
on the air about common couples' arguments brought a
"Gripe Bag" containing a remote control, a checkbook, car
keys and other props.

Finally, to get on The Oprah Winfrey Show, the
"holy grail" of publicity, Susan Harrow, author of The
Ultimate Guide to Getting Booked on Oprah, suggests offering to
solve a problem for Oprah Winfrey and her audience. Also, don't
pitch ideas during sweeps weeks or summer hiatus (they're too
busy concocting ratings-boosting blockbuster shows), and don't
suggest topics that involve sex, psychics or diets.

Eileen Figure Sandlin is an award-winning freelance writer
and author who writes on a wide range of business topics.